Stuffed peppers 

Peppers stuffed with meat are a classic of Italian cuisine and, like all traditional recipes, have a thousand variations. Inevitable in the home cooking of the south of Italy, stuffed peppers are a delicious and hearty second course that knows numerous variations, one more appetizing than the other: from vegetarian stuffed peppers, stuffed with a mix of seasonal vegetables, to peppers stuffed with rice, a rich and tasty dish. The peppers, thanks to their shape, are easily transformed into tasty containers to be filled with a delicious meat-based dough, made soft by bread soaked in milk, as our grandmothers teach us! Baking in the oven will guarantee that golden and crunchy crust on the surface that will make your mouth water just looking at them!

For the preparation of peppers stuffed with meat (but generally I do it for every vegetable that I prepare stuffed) I use my mother's method, that is, I cook the vegetables on the stove for most of the time and then bake them for a last gratin: in this way, not only will you save energy, but the peppers will remain soft and juicy. Their preparation is simple, even if it will take you a little more time: the good thing, however, is that you can prepare them in advance and heat them just before consuming them. Well, now let's move on to the recipe and see together how to prepare them.

INGREDIENTS

Peppers (4 large peppers) 1100 g

Ground veal 300 g

Sausage 150 g

Stale bread crumbs 100 g

Grana Padano to be grated 50 g

Provolone 200 g

Whole milk 150 g

Eggs 2

Chopped parsley 10 g

Salt to taste

Basil to taste

PREPARATION

To make peppers stuffed with meat and sausage, first cut the stale bread into cubes, then place it in a bowl and cover with milk. Press the bread lightly so that it absorbs the milk well. Switch to peppers: wash and dry. Cut off the top cap and extract the filaments and inner seeds. Take the caps, cut the part around the petiole, so as to eliminate it and cut the pieces of pepper into small enough cubes. Remove the casing from the sausage and pour it into a large bowl, where you have already poured the minced meat. Squeeze the bread softened in milk well. Add it to meat and knead well. Grate the provolone now. Add also the grated provolone and grated Grana cheese; Knead with your hands. Pour the two whole eggs, peppers, diced and knead again. Add salt, pepper 16 and chopped parsley. Knead everything well until the mixture is homogeneous. Take the peppers, place them inside a baking dish and fill them to the edge with the filling of meat and sausage. Press with the back of a spoon to compact the filling. Add a little oil and bake in a preheated static oven at 180 °C degrees for 40 minutes in the central shelf. After 40 minutes, take the peppers out of the oven, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and grated provolone cheese. Put it back in the oven, in grill mode at 240°C for 3-4 minutes. When the cheese is melted you can take them out of the oven, add basil leaves and serve them.

PRESERVATION

Peppers stuffed with meat and sausage can be stored for 1-2 days in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing.

ADVICE

Emmental (hard Swiss cheese with many holes in it, similar to Gruyère.), zucchini, eggplant, peas and Scamorza cheese are just some of the tantalizing ingredients with which you can enrich the filling of stuffed peppers!